Action Learning – a new tool in the fight against disease and poverty in Malawi

ALA Director, Ruth Cook, has introduced action learning to health workers in Malawi as part of their work to tackle the severe health issues which affect the country. Ruth has just returned from a three week placement with VSO Malawi to introduce action learning and offer professional support on organisational change.

As part of the placement Ruth trained five members of the VSO Health Programme Team to facilitate action learning sets. They will use the technique primarily to provide peer support for volunteers and workers who can all too easily become disillusioned or cynical when faced with confusing or dysfunctional management systems. With significant potential for extending the action learning process throughout the country, a local programme manager, who shadowed Ruth throughout her placement, will continue to offer workshops based upon Ruth’s training and materials.

Ruth also worked with a relatively new team of health volunteers who are delivering an ambitious new programme of prevention and management. She introduced them to organisational change tools and techniques which will help them deal with the significant problems of organisational change which they face. Ruth believes the presence of a UK management consultant emphasised the significance of partnership working between VSO and district government health officials which resulted in commitment to a joint work plan for the next six months.

An organisational change workshop for more experienced volunteer health workers resulted in the production of a document which encapsulates their experience of the major challenges of working in health in Malawi and offers practical suggestions and advice for new volunteers.

Although this was only a short term placement Ruth Cook hopes that VSO will be able to build on the success of what she has already achieved and that she will have the opportunity to undertake similar voluntary placements in the future.

For further information about VSO Malawi visit the BESO website; www.beso.org/about/cprofiles/malawi.asp